No Reservations – Anthony Bourdain

by Erik Olsen on

Wow, this was kind of weird…as I clicked to read this story about the new Travel Channel travel/food show featuring uber-chef Anthony Bourdain, I was hit with a full page ad for the program. I don’t know if there’s a conflict of interest issue there (the review is quite positive), but seems fishy.

But that aside, the new show, called “No Reservations” features the gravelly-voiced, chain-smoking, hedonistic Bourdain as he gallivants across the globe in search of culinary nirvana. The first segment apparently has him quaffing absinthe in France and getting hammered on air. Now that’s entertainment. Bourdain says that the name of the show, “No Reservations” means that “I just don’t care what happens” (as opposed to meaning that they won’t be visiting any Indians) … an appealing tagline if ever there was one.

An Iceland Story

by Erik Olsen on

The Globe and Mail
runs a nice
piece on the wonders if Iceland, a place that seems to be getting a fair amount of coverage these days. The writer
heads overseas there to visit the set of a film calledBeowulf and Grendel being shot by director
Sturla Gunnarsson. Along the way, she takes a detour through the vast and
barren Icelandic countryside, checking out the myriad geysers and volcanoes, and drops in on the Skogar Folk Museum.
It’s a decent-enough piece. Won’t make you book your flight tomorrow, but it will whet your interest in this hot little
island nation.

Photo of the Day: (7/24/05)

by Erik Olsen on

Years ago when I lived in Seattle we’d make the trip out to the Skagit Valley to catch the tulips growing out
there. It’s a pretty cool experience, and it is always a surprise how vast and colorful these fields of flowers are.
They seems to strech out for miles, these perfectly aligned rows of exploding hue. Well,
our POTD comes from
castle, who appears to be a fan of the tulip festival as well. There
are some excellent photos at her site, including several cool macros.

The Africa Channel

by Erik Olsen on

News out of Africa is often so sparse and distant, that it
sometimes seems as if it is a different world, or that it doesn’t exist at all. Simply the fact that we know the
place as ”Africa”, as opposed to identifying any particular country within the continent when we discuss
issues there, is a sign of our disregard and ignorance of the place. Africa is way “out there”, utterly foreign
and therefore hardly worthy of our attentions…or so goes the popular feeling, it sometimes seems.

Well, that may change (or it may not).  Several seasoned TV executives are
launching 
the Africa Channel, to be on your cable service soon. The effort is being spear-headed by James Makawa, a native of
Zimbabwe, Jacob Arback, a former vice president of DirecTV International, and Richard Hammer, a former executive
with Columbia Pictures Television. The hope is that by bringing everyday stories about what goes on in Africa, people
will become much better informed about the vast continent and its people. The channel will feature original
newsmagazine, reality TV, travel and soap opera segments produced largely in Johannesburg. The effort is noble and
sure. The question of whether people will watch…is not.

Ghost Towns in the West

by Adrienne Wilson on

How many times have you passed by a deserted house like the one found here out of Dos
Cabezas, AZ? Any and everyone who has ever taken a cross-country road trip has surely
passed more than a handful of these, but has anyone ever wondered about the fallen pieces of wooden
frame that used to be a home or the rubble of a once bustling Western town? The folks that put
together this online gallery of Ghost Towns seem to have
done some extensive research on the sites, where only tumble weeds roll and the whistle of the wind is the
only constant reminders of a town’s existence. Not all the towns found in the Ghost Town gallery are
completely deserted, but with populations totaling less than 1,000 in some places it still gives a pretty eerie touch
to the place. My guess is most will have real ghost stories to share with the interested traveler.

If the paranormal or even the slightest hint of it gets you all willy nilly and shaking in your boots with
excitement perhaps it’s time to take out your map and hit the road. You can even start with some of the
detailed maps found at Ghost Town Gallery. I spent several
minutes just looking at all the different towns imagining gun fights, bank robberies, and other scandalous
misadventures that would have brought the town down. If ghostly and historical venues tickle your fancy then mosey on
down.